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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, As gas prices continue to rise, long-term | ||||||
| 3 | solutions are needed to address the increase in travel | ||||||
| 4 | expenses many Chicagoans are facing; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Over 25 percent of households in Chicago do not | ||||||
| 6 | have a car; therefore, creating a network of public | ||||||
| 7 | transportation options for all Chicagoans is of the utmost | ||||||
| 8 | importance to get them where they need to go; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Making transit more affordable, safe, and | ||||||
| 10 | convenient is a smart way to reduce our demands on foreign oil, | ||||||
| 11 | which fuels war and dictators; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Improving public transit will lead to cleaner air | ||||||
| 13 | and reduced congestion; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, In January 2021, Metra launched a pilot program | ||||||
| 15 | that improves transit services while lowering costs and, up to | ||||||
| 16 | now, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has refused to | ||||||
| 17 | participate in this program; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, If the CTA were a full partner with Metra, this | ||||||
| 19 | pilot program could have an even greater impact by allowing | ||||||
| 20 | transfers to and from Metra to CTA for free or at reduced rates | ||||||
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| 1 | and by better syncing bus schedules with Metra; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, This pilot program could enhance ridership by | ||||||
| 3 | installing pop-up bus priority lanes and reconfiguring the | ||||||
| 4 | timing on stop lights to make the bus service more attractive | ||||||
| 5 | and welcoming to more riders; this would address both racial | ||||||
| 6 | equity and improvement to Chicago's economy; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, The CTA could further improve public | ||||||
| 8 | transportation by reducing fares along key corridors during | ||||||
| 9 | these peak inflationary and high gas prices; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, In Boston, the top 10 highest ridership routes | ||||||
| 11 | during the pandemic were identified, and the city increased | ||||||
| 12 | the number of buses on these routes, with fares being either | ||||||
| 13 | made free or cut in half; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Long term, Chicago also needs to accelerate the | ||||||
| 15 | adoption and deployment of electric buses; together, CTA and | ||||||
| 16 | Pace must plan now for the conversion of their fleets to | ||||||
| 17 | electric, so money is not wasted buying two separate systems | ||||||
| 18 | to charge and maintain these new buses; through these changes, | ||||||
| 19 | Chicago could possess the cleanest transit system in the | ||||||
| 20 | country; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, The current high gas price crisis should be a | ||||||
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| 1 | moment for us to reflect on how Chicago can prioritize | ||||||
| 2 | alternatives to driving by reducing our reliance on oil and | ||||||
| 3 | directly address flaws within the public transit system; | ||||||
| 4 | therefore, be it
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| 5 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 6 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 7 | we urge the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to join the Metra | ||||||
| 8 | pilot program to aid in reducing transfer costs; and be it | ||||||
| 9 | further
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| 10 | RESOLVED, That we urge the CTA to adopt reduced fares | ||||||
| 11 | along corridors with the most essential workers; and be it | ||||||
| 12 | further
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| 13 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 14 | delivered to the CTA.
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